Community Engagement
As a core value, Madha believes communities deserve the right to self determination. Through various planning projects she has aligned the desire of communities to be heard and accounted for with the citywide goals of an evolving NYC.
Climate Strong Communities
Firm: Starr Whitehouse Landscape Architects and Planners
Client: Mayor’s Office of Climate and Environmental Justice (MOCEJ)
Years completed: 2022 - ongoing
Climate Strong Communities is an initiative through MOCEJ to bring comprehensive resilient infrastructure and plannning to disadvantaged communities across New York City. As the community engagement lead, the team prepared a long term engagement plan that utilized a “Neighborhood Support Team” (NST) model, comprised of a group of neighborhood leaders, including non-profits, institituions, and resident activists. The team collaborated to host approximately 25 events, including virtual NST meetings, in-person workshops, and virtual summits, over the course of 2022-2023. The project is now in it’s second year and has connected with over 10 communities across all five boroughs.
In collaboration with ONE Architecture + Urbanism.
Waterfront Access Study
Firm: Starr Whitehouse Landscape Architects and Planners
Client: NYC Department of Transportation (DOT)
Year completed: 2023
In 2023, NYC DOT completed the East Village / Lower East Side Waterfront Access Study which studied the feasiblity of improvements along the FDR corridor from Montgomery St to 14th St. As urban designers, the team studied possible configurations for additional green space and planting along the corridor. As community engagement lead, the team synthesized the complex existing conditions, such as the layers of intermingled utilities, planned construction limitations, and future flood conditions, to convey the feasiblity of potential design outcomes. The team used a variety of engagement techniques, such as in-person workshops, open houses, tabling at community campuses, digital surveys, and virtual meetings. See the full report here.
In collaboration with Arcadis and ONE Architecture + Urbanism.
